Darkly Dreaming
by ColonelCatastrophe
Summary: Harry Potter, now an immortal, is reborn over and over again as his original body slumbers. He has always had to fulfill his destiny either directly or indirectly, but now he has been reborn in a land where there is no prophecy guiding him. Harry Potter is free to make his own path, but will he want to?
1. Chapter 1

**The Sleeping Man**

A dark haired man sat alone in one of many of the ruined towers of the castle. To the casual observer, he would appear dead, if not for the slight pulsing of blood up his neck within the jugular. So still was he, that he looked like a statue. Only his pale face could be seen coming out of his frayed coat and long unkempt hair.

Suddenly, his eyes opened revealing startling green eyes that seemed to glow with light. He slowly sat up cracking dirt and releasing billows of dust that had collected on his form over the years of inactivity. The man did not seem to mind, however, and merely raised his arms over his head, stretching his joints and spine releasing several satisfying pops. The man looked around his setting and a small frown marred his pale features.

"Death." He croaked, his voice sounding as if it had not been used in years. Which in this reality, it had not. Even though the words he spoke came out as a whisper it left a strange ringing in the air that reverberated to the far corners of the castle and beyond. The moment his words left his mouth, a dark, human-shaped shadow appeared before him. The shadow smiled and offered his hand to the sitting man.

"It's been a while." The shadow said, pulling the dark haired man to his feet. "You managed to live long enough for me to grow restless. I got bored of watching you sleep for the first 10 years. And once the candles ran out I needed more entertainment than watching wax melt."

"I don't blame you." Replied the man, stretching out his legs. Now that he was standing his form towered over the shadow. The last remnants of dirt and dust slid off his body and pooled around his feet. The shadow stepped back to avoid most of the downpour. "I was surprised myself that I lived as long as I did…" The man paused, looked down at the dirt and dust at his feet. "I don't remember going to sleep with dirt on me before."

"Oh, my mistake. I forgot to clean up after trying to grow some grass on you." The shadow said, a smile full of jagged teeth slowly forming.

"You know that nothing ever grows here." The man said giving an annoyed look at the shadow before stepping away from his chair and towards the steps leading up to his tower. The shadow did not follow the man as he made his way down. Only once the man had reached the open gates of the castle did the shadow appear by his side. Outside the castle gates, the land was barren. Nothing had grown here in hundreds of thousands of years.

"How was it this time?" The shadow asked.

"Not so bad this time. I had forgotten how much I hated wizards." The man said as he and the shadow strolled towards a dried lakebed. "They always seem to be so backwards in every dimension I visit."

The shadow nodded and shifted his gaze to the man. "I recall you saying that you hated not having your magic the last few times you woke up."

"True." Said the man, as he stopped at the edge of what was once, in his memory, a beautiful blue lake. "I guess there is always a tradeoff…"

The shadow must have heard some slight melancholy in his voice because it turned to face the man and asked, "Do you want a break?"

"I think I could go for a vacation." The man replied, as he lay himself down on the ground putting his head on the root of a large stump. The stump had long lost all its color and all remnants of life, more resembling a smooth stone than a tree. "I'd like to go somewhere where you won't care if I don't fulfill some role."

The shadow chuckled. "I don't think that's my fault. You always had a problem with injustice. A saving-people-problem if I recall your friend saying correctly…"

The man scowled. "I wouldn't be so damn tired if you stopped sending me back as myself or my friends."

"I guess that's true." Admitted the shadow. "How about I send you somewhere with no wizards? A place you have never been before and nothing like what you've experienced already?"

The man stayed silent for a minute mulling over the offer. Finally, he pulled his arms up, laced his fingers behind his head and closed his eyes. "Sure. But, I want my magic. At least some of it if you can manage."

The shadow nodded. More to itself as the man had already started to relax and drift off to sleep. The shadow concentrated and put its finger on the man's chest over his heart. A sudden glow enveloped the two figures and an orb of light shot out of the man's body straight into the sky, curving towards the hazy horizon like a comet. The shadow gazed after the shining light and smiled.

"Good luck, Harry Potter."


	2. Chapter 2

**A New Dayne**

Alexander sighed. He was already weary of the maester who was currently sitting across from him trying to teach him the history of Westeros. Of course little did anyone know that young Alexander Dayne was actually the immortal, Master of Death, Boy-Who-Lived, amongst many other titles, Harry Potter. Alexander had already read every book and tome that the Dayne family owned in Starfall and was bored of every lesson that his parents forced upon him. He couldn't complain though. They treated him like a son and all he had to do was live up to a few of their expectations. And he had to keep up appearances after all.

As the maester droned on and on, Alexander mentally organized his mind, sorting through years of information from his many lives as he was prone to do when left bored or alone. His older sister Ashara always teased him about being too serious, but he always countered by saying it helped him learn. Ashara wasn't going to fault him for that. He was known for being intelligent, even compared to people much older than him.

Being a young lord in a famous house was easy business compared to his previous lives. Alexander was glad that Death actually sent him to this dimension and world, even if the people were still stuck in the medieval era. It beat dealing with wizards. It also helped that this time he had magic. Alexander Dayne was immensely happy when he learned that Death had kept its word and allowed him to keep his magical gifts. He had spent almost every night practicing magic he had learned at Hogwarts all those years ago until he could silently cast almost every spell he had mastered with his wand in his first life. An added benefit of being the Master of Death was that he did not actually need a wand, which helped considerably in keeping his ability secret. Alexander knew all about the fears of people and what it could drive them to do. That was why he never usually lived that long in his other lives when he was allowed to keep his magic. He had been far too careless in his displays before learning about the worlds he had been born into.

This time he made sure that he researched the world before casually using his gifts. Apparently, magic used to be quite common. At least when the dragons were around. Alexander was glad that the dragons were dead, he really hated dealing with them. He never had any good experiences with dragons. Even Norbert, the dragon that they had snuck out of Hogwarts for a dear friend, had caused him nothing but trouble.

"Alexander!" The young Dayne's eyes quickly snapped to the maester. Damn it. He had forgotten to at least pretend to listen. Maester Owen was a patient man, but Alexander had tried that patience too many times. "I see something else has captured your attention." Scolded maester Owen. "Pray tell what is more important than what I am trying to teach?"

Alexander quickly made up an excuse. "Sorry maester Owen. I meant no offense. It's just that it's so sunny outside and we have already been sitting here for a good portion of the day."

Maester Owen glanced outside. It was indeed sunny, but then again, when was it not in Dorne. Maester Owen sighed. "I know you are a smart lad, young Alex. But you really need to stop your mind from wandering." Alexander nodded, keeping his eyes downcast as if he were ashamed. Maester Owen stood up and put a hand on Alexander's shoulder. "But, you are still young. There is plenty of time for you to learn. Why don't you go on outside and enjoy your youth?" Alexander smiled at the old maester, thanked him and quickly bolting out of the room before maester Owen could change his mind. The one gift he had not been allowed to keep was mind altering magics, not that he was tempted to use them. He never liked manipulating people's thoughts and memories anyway.

Alexander made his way out onto the training ground where his older brother was currently whacking away at a dummy with a steel sword. Alexander loved practicing with his brother, Ser Arthur Dayne. Arthur was already known as one of the greatest knights in Westeros, as chivalrous as he was skilled with the blade, which explained why Arthur was given the family sword Dawn and with it the title Sword of the Morning.

Years ago, he had heard from the guards that their young lord had so impressed the members of the great house of Martell with his skills they begged to have him act as their own body guard. Of course, their father was never one to pass up a good opportunity and allowed Arthur to stay with the Martells. The next time Arthur came home, he returned a knight and was called the greatest swordsman who ever lived. Alexander walked over to a nearby bench where Dawn had carefully been placed and sat down. He admired the softly glowing sword until a sweaty hand grabbed his chin and tilted his gaze upwards. Arthur's face smiled down on him. "What are you doing here little brother? I thought you were supposed to be with maester Owen."

"He was probably caught daydreaming again." Chuckled a melodic voice. Alexander scowled and shook his head free of Arthur's grasp and they both turned to face their sister, Ashara. Ashara was as beautiful as ever with her violet eyes and flowing black hair. Alexander had heard many of Starfall's guards comment on how beautiful she was and rumors about how many suitors had already asked their lord for her hand. He knew first hand that those weren't rumors as he had heard his father and mother laughing over some of the more ridiculous offers. Alexander took more after her than he did Arthur, with his black hair and haunting eyes. However, his eyes were a startling green, which puzzled his family, as most of their family had blue or violet eyes.

"Probably dreaming that he had my skill with the sword." Laughed Arthur as he wiped the sweat off his face.

"Hey! You know I'm good. You said yourself that I'm better than you were at my age." Alexander said, handing Dawn to Arthur to strap back onto his back. It was true. Alexander was good. But Arthur didn't know that he had many life times of experience with a sword. Alexander would never tell him, especially because he actually lost to Arthur when he tried his hardest to beat him. Alexander's body just was not as developed nor did he have as much reach. He did admit to himself that Arthur was probably the most naturally gifted swordsman he had ever known. Still, it was embarrassing. Alexander looked away from Arthur, answering Ashara, "You are partially correct. I wasn't exactly daydreaming. Just organizing my thoughts."

Arthur laughed. "You do that a lot. You are much too serious." Alexander couldn't help but break out into a chuckle. His godfather, Sirius, had loved making puns about his name back when he was alive.

"And you aren't?" Ashara said, pointedly looking at Arthur.

Arthur just laughed and walked away, but not before looking over his shoulder and saying, "As the Sword of the Morning, I need to be."

Ashara and Alexander continued to chuckle as Arthur's footsteps receded. As soon as the two stopped laughing, Ashara held out her arm towards Alexander. "Come, walk with me brother." Alexander stood and followed alongside Ashara as they walked away from the training grounds. The two didn't speak. And they didn't have to. They enjoyed each other's company and silence as they walked through the halls of Starfall, warmed by the sun's rays passing through the arched windows. As they continued to walk, Alexander remembered when he was much younger he vowed that he would distance himself from his family. It wasn't easy being the Master of Death, always having to watch loved ones die while he was reborn over and over again. It made him appear apathetic in his youth, but much like his other lives, it was too hard not to love his family. He really did care about his family, especially Arthur and Ashara, both of whom bonded with him over their own interests. Arthur through the sword and Ashara through the books.

He remembered when he was much younger, before Arthur had become Sword of the Morning, Arthur would hold onto his hand and take him to see the sword. He had been fascinated by the sword, Dawn. Aptly named. The soft glow truly did invoke a sense of something new and fresh like a new day. But Alexander was enthralled by it for a different reason. He saw it as a connection to magic that was long lost in this land. Oh, how much he wanted put his hand on the sword to feel how it worked. If it indeed was a fallen star as the legends said or if it was created by human magic long ago. Arthur, perhaps sensing his curiosity, whispered to him, "Don't worry Alex, you can touch it. After all you are a Dayne. Be careful. It may not be valyrian steel, but it is just as sharp." As Alexander reached out his small hand and caressed the blade he was disappointed to find that Dawn was indeed just a sword made from some strange metal. There were no traces of magic within it. Still Alexander was pleased that this world could offer him mysteries to solve.

His musings were brought to an end when the sun hit his eyes. After blinking out the spots in his vision he saw lush green and vibrantly colored clusters. The gardens were always wonderful. Alexander had a great appreciation for the tending of plants since his days as a slave at the hands of his uncle and aunt, Vernon and Petunia Dursley. Ashara lead the two siblings a shadier spot and sat down by a shallow pool. "Arthur's going to have to leave soon." Ashara said, placing her feet in the water.

"Yeah, I know." Alexander stood watching the ripples Ashara's feet made as they entered the pool. "I'm glad he could come back for Allyria's birth. To see her and to see us." Ashara merely dipped her head in agreement and hummed. He was glad that Arthur had come back from King's Landing. It was rare to see him and he always sent ravens back home, but it wasn't the same as actually having their brother home in person. Alexander understood that it was a great honor for the family, but he never wanted Arthur to become a member of the Kingsguard. Call it selfish, but Alexander had wanted this life as a vacation. He hated worrying about his family, especially when they were far away in the snake pit they called King's Landing. Alexander suppressed a shudder. King's Landing sounded worse than the Slytherin common room. He would know, as he had spent his third life as a version of himself sorted into that house. Too much politics. And backstabbing. Literally, in this world based on what he heard.

"Allyria won't even know him when he comes back again." Ashara said. Alexander focused on his older sister. She sounded sad. Much too sad for it to be just because of Allyria. He narrowed his eyes in thought.

"You knows about my plans?" He asked. Ashara nodded, glancing at him, before turning her gaze back to the pool. "How did you find out?"

Still not looking at him Ashara replied, "I heard you talking to father last night. I was hoping he wouldn't agree. Are you really going to ask Arthur to take you as his squire to King's Landing?"

Alexander grimaced. He had hoped to tell her by sending her a raven so he wouldn't have to face her. "I am."

Ashara sighed and turned to look at him. Surprisingly, she didn't look mad. Nor did she look sad. She just looked resigned. "I always knew you wanted to leave."

Alexander spluttered. "What. No. I mean…" But before he could think of something to say Ashara interrupted.

"Arthur always wrote to us about his adventures and you would get this glow in your eyes. I know you always wanted to travel and this is the best way to do so." Not surprisingly, Alexander had grown closer to Ashara during Arthur's long absence from Starfall. He was shocked that she was taking it so well that her closest sibling and friend wanted to leave her behind while he explored the rest of Westeros. Even before Arthur's absence he and Ashara were close. After all, she was the one who had discovered him reading in the library at the tender age of three. After her initial shock, Ashara was glad that someone closer to her own age enjoyed learning as much as she did and the two of them had spent countless poring over books and discussing what they learned. Ashara frowned. "I've already accepted the fact that you would leave sooner or later. So don't look so surprised that I'm not sad. But I am angry that you decided to keep it a secret from me."

"I'm sorry Ashara. I just can't bear to see you cry…" Started Alexander, but was quickly interrupted by Ashara's chuckle.

"Don't worry. I've already forgiven you. I just wanted to see you squirm. In fact, I have a goodbye gift for you." Ashara removed her feet from the pool and stood up. As she made her way to Alexander she removed a canister from one of the folds in her flowing dress. "Here."

"What is this?" Asked Alexander, as Ashara pressed the canister into his hands. He rolled the canister around in his hands and was about to open it when Ashara put her hands over his.

"It's a map." Replied Ashara with a smile. "I know how much you want your own sword like Dawn. And we all know that Arthur is the best Sword of the Morning there ever was, so you won't be getting Dawn till we are all nice and old and he is tired of being a knight. So I did some research and found you a nice little adventure and a sword of your own. A valyrian steel sword."

Alexander's jaw dropped. All he could think of doing in response was hug his sister. "Thank you so much. You are the best sister ever."

"I know. I know." Laughed Ashara returning his embrace. "Just let me help you name it when you become a knight and find it."

"Oh, I will." Alexander said letting go of Ashara. This was why he couldn't help himself from loving his family.

He and Ashara continued to talk until the sun disappeared under the walls of Starfall. As they parted for their own chambers, Ashara made sure to remind him that he needed to say goodbye to Allyria before he left. Alexander nodded, still with a large smile on his face. Feeding off of his good mood he walked back to his room whistling a merry tune. The halls almost empty, except for the few guardsman patrolling, who nodded at him as he passed. As soon as he entered his room and shut the door, he silently cast a locking spell on the door with a wave of his hand. He needed to finish packing for his trip. Throwing the canister into a secret pocket in his traveling bag, he quickly gathered the papers that were scattered across his floor. Alexander's private room didn't resemble a bedroom so much as small classroom. He owned a desk nearly obscured by the amount of books and papers that lay haphazardly on it and across from the desk a bed that wasn't in much better shape than the desk.

Alexander threw his papers into his bag and stuffed the clothes in his closet on top of them. Hermione would be so angry that he had become so messy. Not that it mattered. He had enchanted his bag to be near bottomless and had runes in place to organize his belongings. He was certainly glad that he decided to take Runes in his third life instead of Divination. He had been wanting to leave Starfall for a long time and he wasn't going to let anything ruin his plans.

Once he finished packing he jumped into his and relaxed. Sleep was a formality at this point, merely a way to plan and think about the day as his original body slept on outside of Hogwarts. Of course, 'sleeping' also made sure nobody thought he was abnormal in any way. He hoped Death had not grown too bored yet. He did not want to return to the body of Harry Potter covered in dirt again. Or worse. Not that he planned on returning any time soon, but even though he didn't show it still annoyed him that Death thought so little of his original form. He wasn't going to complain though, as it was only because of Death that his soul could go to other worlds. Alexander reached underneath his pillow and grasped the necklace he had been working on for the past few days. Closing his eyes as he lay his head back, he felt along the runes he had carved across the jewels that made up the main piece of the necklace. He would need to give this to Ashara tomorrow. Knowing that she would wear it while he was away from Starfall helped ease his worries. He had designed the runes to protect the wearer from attack. Not that anybody could get into Starfall unless his father allowed it, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Alexander smiled. Death actually sent me somewhere peaceful this time, he thought. Life could not get better.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Squire of the Morning**

"Watch yourself!"

Alexander stepped to his left as his blonde haired opponent slashed downward at his right shoulder. The dull training sword barely missed and Alexander quickly went on the offensive with a downward stroke of his own training sword. His opponent pivoted, parrying his strike, sending a loud clang across the dusty training yard. Alexander stepped back and surveyed the young man across from him. The boy was breathing hard. "You should be more worried about yourself, Jaime."

Jaime Lannister laughed and once again relaxed himself into his ready stance. The blonde was good. Much better than he had been when he first started learning. Especially for a boy who had barely seen fifteen namedays. But Jaime did not stand a chance against Alexander.

Alexander continued on the offensive, throwing a quick slash at the smiling Lannister. Again, Jaime parried sending the sound of their clashing swords across the yard to join the many other noises filling the training grounds. The yard was bustling activity. Every section and piece of equipment was in use as many of the squires, guardsmen, and knights wanted to get their blood flowing and put in some training before the meeting in the keep was adjourned. The day was hot, the merciless sun beat down on the training yard and its occupants. Alexander and Jaime were both sticky with sweat, making it increasingly difficult to see as liquid kept dripping into their eyes. It didn't help that they were covered in at least two coats of dust kicked up from all the activity in the yard.

The flow of the fight changed suddenly changed. Jaime went on the offensive and was making quick, calculated strikes across Alexander's defense. He noticed Jaime's smile took on a hard edge and the boy's eyes belied his cheerful grin. _He's finally being serious._ _Trying to beat me into submission before he's too tired._ Alexander had to speed up his foot work and deflect blows much more swiftly, but it did not stop him from noticing that a small crowd gathering to watch him and Jaime fight as it often happened when two great swordsman squared up against one another. How frequently did the people of King's Landing get the opportunity to see two squires of their caliber cross swords?

Apparently not very often, thought Alexander. He noticed that some of the guards had stopped patrolling to watch, as well as some those who were training. _Time to finish this._ He and Jaime had already been slashing at practice dummies for hours before their bout. He could see that Jaime was getting sloppy, but it seemed the blonde's pride would not allow him to stop until Alexander stopped. Which wasn't going to be happening anytime soon as he had unnatural amounts of stamina from years of cardio training, but also, he suspected, it had something to do with the fact that his magical core helped supplement his energy. Alexander enjoyed fighting with Jaime, but he did not want to fight an opponent who could barely keep up. In addition, he had other plans than to train the entire day.

Alexander feinted to his right as Jaime tried to stab him in the thigh leaving the blonde nearly defenseless from Alexander's next move. Jaime tried to recover, but he was too slow. Alexander punched the pommel of his sword into Jaime's forehead knocking the blond flat on his back. The crowd clapped and yelled congratulations to Alexander, which he ignored with a straight face. Instead of celebrating he walked over to where Jaime was just starting to sit up.

"Here." Alexander grasped his downed training partner's forearm and pulled him up.

"Thanks." Jaime said as he rubbed his head. There was a large bruise already forming in the center of his forehead. "Nice move… But I would have had you if I hadn't slipped."

Alexander smirked and patted the blonde's shoulder reassuringly. "Sure you would have." The two squires walked through the dispersing crowd to where they had left their towels.

"I hear that sarcasm." Scowled Jaime playfully. After the two of them wiped the dust and sweat off their faces, they made their way together to their rooms. The halls were cool compared to the dusty yard they had just left, helping them to further wind down from their fight. "You know you don't have to be so serious. You could join in the people's celebration. It's not every day that people see me at the mercy of a mere squire. Take pride in that accomplishment."

Alexander snorted. "You say that as if it were some great achievement."

"I know you're good. I heard all about it before coming here. The second Sword of the Morning they call you. Or the greatest squire in the Seven Kingdoms. Why do you think I watched you train for a week and challenged you to a fight?"

"No wonder you were staring at me. I thought you found me especially good looking or your training dummy especially ugly." Alexander said with a wry grin.

Jaime burst out laughing drawing smiles and funny looks from a few of the guards strolling through the halls. "I did not hear about you being funny as well." Jaime stopped laughing, then continued more seriously. "I had to make sure that you were really skilled. I know all about your older brother. The _real_ Sword of the Morning. I wanted to know if the rumors were true or if your brother's reputation was really what people saw in you."

"Well, I hope you are satisfied."

Jaime grinned. "I'm content with what I experienced. You are as good as they say, but I'm still better."

"Of course you are Ser Slip-On-Nothing." Alexander said, causing Jaime to protest and go into great detail about the quality of the dirt in the training yard and how it was not conducive to swordplay. Alexander had heard rumors all week about a young blonde Lannister entering the keep with his lord, Lord Sumner Crakehall. According to the hand maidens, the Lannister was the most beautiful little lordling they had ever seen. And according to a few the guardsmen, the young Lannister had been both cocky and brash as he strutted into the keep, boasting to Lord Crakehall that he would be known as the greatest knight anyone had ever seen after he challenges Ser Arthur Dayne to a fight. Alexander was not impressed. He had also heard that Lord Crakehall merely laughed and reminded his squire that he was not even a knight yet. That had effectively ended the blonde's monologue.

On their very first face to face meeting in the training yard, Jaime had announced his name quite pompously to Alexander and challenged him to a fight, "You're making quick work of that dummy. How about you try your sword against a real opponent… unless you're afraid?" Alexander had been taken aback. Jaime's tone reminded him of his first nemesis, Draco Malfoy. They both had that cocky and spoiled rich kid feel about them. Alexander was not intimidated; he knew how to deal with people like that. _This must be that cocky young Lannister_ , he had thought. Alexander only nodded and remained silent. Jaime must have known who he was already or the blonde wouldn't have made such a bold entrance, so Alexander didn't bother to introduce himself. Alexander was prepared to make quick work of the boy, but he was surprised by the Lannister's skills. Jaime Lannister was almost as good as his boasting implied. If he had to compare, he would say that Jaime was probably better than most of the knights in the yard and those men had been training for far longer. But still, training with the Sword of the Morning no doubt gave him an advantage that Jaime could never hope to have. _After all, Ser Arthur Dayne is the greatest knight who ever lived._

When the two squires reached the dining quarters they both realized they needed to head opposite directions to reach their individual rooms. Jaime Lannister offered a mocking salute. "It was nice fighting you, Alexander. Next time you'll see the better swordsman win."

Alexander offered his hand in return and said, "Then I look forward to beating you again."

Jaime laughed and shook Alexander's hand, before strutting away through a separate hall. Alexander shook his head at the Lannister's good humor, before following suit and headed towards his own quarters. He had exercised enough today, now it was time to move onto his favorite part of the day. Writing to his sister Ashara. Ashara and Alexander frequently sent ravens to each other during their time apart. Both were equally excited about what Alexander had been discovering using the libraries in King's Landing.

Upon opening the canister that Ashara had given him as a parting gift, Alexander had been confused about the map that it contained. It seemed incomplete with lines and lines of barely legible scribbles along the margins. So many scribbles that it looked like the map had black borders along its four sides. Alexander was pleased to find that Ashara had also sealed a note with the map. It explained how she had discovered the map in their great, great uncle's private documents, which had been stored in a less visited part of Starfall. Apparently, their great granduncle had discovered writings about long lost valyrian swords that could still be found in the East and was obsessed about obtaining one for himself. According to Ashara's research, their great granduncle was passed up as Sword of the Morning and so he wanted a special blade for himself that could be passed down, regardless of skill, through the Dayne family. Their great granduncle had drawn the map himself as a starting point for where to find such a sword, listing the last known locations of some of the weapons. However, the scribbles contained the bulk of the information, detailing where in the libraries of King's Landing that someone could learn about the possible final resting places of lost valyrian swords. Ashara, already knowing that Alexander was heading to King's Landing, probably planned the research as part of the adventure, as he would already be in the correct city to start looking.

The sibling's initial excitement died down as many of the leads that Alexander followed ended up at dead ends. So instead Ashara had inquired about the many inhabitants of King's Landing, the most famous of which, was King Aerys. Alexander couldn't honestly say much of anything about the King. Aerys was like a ghost in his own his own home, always haunting the same locations, with a strange glint in his eyes. He rarely saw the King, but when he did he believed the dark whisperings that the Targaryen family madness had been awakened after the King's capture and stay at Duskendale. The King was pale. Pale to the point that he looked sickly. Each time the King appeared his long white hair was longer and his nails were the same. They were starting to look as sharp as the swords he sat on when he dared to sit on the Iron Throne.

Alexander could certainly write about the Iron Throne. The chair, if you could even call it that, was as fascinating as Dawn had been in his youth. The first time he saw it he stood in awe at the magnificent work. The throne had been melted together from thousands of swords. Most of the swords still looked sharp resulting in its occupant needing to be careful and alert. Which you had to be if you were King. Although, he had heard talk about how Aerys frequently cut himself on the throne each time he did sit on the throne, which certainly did not help the King's mood. However, Alexander's awe was not only caused by the appearance of the Iron Throne, but he felt a strange magic still lingering on the massive chair. He had been curious and wanted to touch the chair, much like he did Dawn, but did not dare to with so many people milling around at the time. So, in the dead of night he had cast a disillusionment charm on himself, making his body nearly invisibly, and snuck into the throne room. Placing a tentative hand on the chair revealed that there was indeed magic that had seeped into each sword. It certainly added credence to the fact that the chair was forged by using dragon fire, which was magical in nature. He also heard that valyrian swords were forged in the same manner giving him more reason to want his own.

Just as Alexander reached his door, he spied a maid hastily making her way out. The maid clearly was hoping to leave unseen and gave a surprised yelp, her eyes widening at the approaching black haired squire and dropped her basket, spilling her towels.

"Here let me help you with that." Said Alexander giving the maid an amused look. She was young and quite comely. And was clearly too embarrassed to remember to help pick up her belongings, instead covering her mouth with her hands trying to cover up her blush and expression. "What were you doing in my private quarters?"

"I was just helping my lord prepare a bath. The other maids were telling me about how you and lord Lannister were fighting and I thought you might want to relax after finishing." Answered the maid timidly. Alexander handed he the basket with the towels refolded. "Thank you my lord."

"No problem. Thank you for preparing my bath." Alexander said. With that he entered his room and shut the door, but not before he thought he heard a dreamy sigh. Alexander frowned. He knew what the maids and ladies of King's Landing thought of him. He was the handsome younger brother of the Sword of the Morning. A young man of great skill. But also great mystery. In fact, many compared him to the Crown Prince, Rhaegar Targaryen. Both he and the prince were great with the sword, but their true passions lay in another discipline. They were prone to wander off alone to spend time thinking, reading, or, in Rhaegar's case, playing music. Arthur had told him many times about how talented Rhaegar was with the harp. Alexander was only treated to the sound once, but he agreed. There was something almost magical about the way Rhaegar could play. His song was so sad though.

There was another thing that the servants and guards noticed about Alexander and their Prince. Both possessed haunting eyes, which seemed to make the both of them even more attractive to the fairer sex. Alexander knew that he was serious. And everyone else knew Alexander was too. He had even overheard a few guards betting who could get him to laugh. It didn't bother Alexander and he certainly was not going to change his ways.

 _Prince Rhaegar has always been serious too_ , thought Alexander as he sank into his bath. _At least according to Arthur._ Alexander's muscles were dead tired. He was glad that the maid had drawn his bath for him, but they were getting bolder. Many of the younger maids were always eager to help him, usually giggling and blushing all the while. They always whispered to each other and gave him shy looks when he passed. He was glad that Jaime Lannister was now in the castle. At least they could focus more attention on the pretty boy Lannister and less on him. Although, Alexander did admit that some of those maids were very good looking indeed.

Alexander sank deeper into relaxation, closing his eyes, remembering the first time he was introduced to their Prince Rhaegar. Arthur spoke about Rhaegar in such a familiar way that there was no doubt the two were great friends. Seeing it in person was a different matter entirely. It seemed the two of them could convey entire messages with a single look. Like the look they gave each other when Arthur gave Prince Rhaegar Alexander's name. He always wondered what they were saying to each other that day. After the introduction, Rhaegar nodded at Arthur, then spoke to Alexander. "It's nice to final meet you. I've heard a lot about you from your brother young Alexander."

"It is an honor to meet you, my Prince." Alexander bowed. When he straightened back up he said, "I hope he's only said good things."

Rhaegar's lips gave a quick sad crooked smile. "Oh, he only has good things to say about his siblings. You have a great older brother. I myself waited many years to be an older brother." Alexander had heard all about the sad Queen's children. None of them survived long. Not until Prince Viserys was born. "Perhaps I can be as good of a brother to my brother as Ser Arthur is to you."

"I have no doubt you will be my Prince."

Rhaegar gave the same smile again and looked to Arthur with amusement before saying, "You speak kind words Alexander. I hear you are a great swordsman. Is that true?"

"I am not as good as Ser Arthur, my Prince." Alexander heard Arthur chuckle at his answer.

"Please, enough of the formality. Just call me Rhaegar. Your brother is my friend so I shall consider you my friend as well."

"Yes, my Pri… I mean Rhaegar." Alexander quickly corrected himself. Again, Rhaegar gave Arthur an amused look, but this time with a wider smile and a slight twinkle in his eyes.

"I also hear you are quite the avid reader. A man skilled with his sword as well as his mind. Quite a combination."

"I've always loved reading about new places. That's why I wanted to come here and squire under my brother."

Arthur laughed drawing Alexander's and Rhaegar's attention. "My brother doesn't just love reading. He used to live in the library. It was like he was eating those books. He honestly reminds me of you, Rhaegar."

"Indeed." Rhaegar said with amusement. "Another one like me." The Prince turned his face to look at Alexander again. "Tell me, would you like to be like me?" There was something different about Rhaegar's voice. It almost sounded like he was asking himself the question. Arthur seemed to think something was off too, because he stopped laughing and he looked concerned. But before Alexander could answer, Rhaegar seemed to regain much of the sadness in his eyes and his smile disappeared.

"Please, enjoy living in King's Landing." With that Rhaegar turned and started walking away. Arthur gave Alexander a quick goodbye, "I will see you later Alex. Rhaegar and I have much to talk about. Just relax. No need to be so serious, the Prince is already seriousness enough for all us." With a quick reassuring smile Arthur turned away as well to catch up to Rhaegar.

Alexander thought that everything about Rhaegar was sad; there was an aura of melancholy around him. Of course, knowing his history the Prince had every right to be. But the haunting look in Rhaegar's eyes reminded Alexander of himself in his first life. There was unbelievable sadness in those eyes. And underneath that sadness there was a great pressure. The weight of a prophecy seemed to press down on the Prince. _The Prince that was promised…_ Alexander had glimpsed a bit of it with an accidental probe of legilimency when he looked into the Prince's eyes. He emphasized with the Prince, but was glad that there was no prophecy guiding him this time. He did not want to tangle with fate in this life. So he let the Prince's thoughts out of his mind.

A loud knock interrupted his musings. "Alex, are you in there?" It was his brother. It seemed the meeting with the King was finished.

Alex quickly sat up in the bath sloshing water onto the tiled floor. "Yes, Arthur. Just washing up!" He shouted.

"Okay, I will wait for you in your room. I have some important news."

"I'll get dressed now." Alexander replied, carefully getting out of the tub and picking up the towel the maid had neatly laid out for him. _Looks like writing to Ashara will have to wait._

Arthur turned to look at him when he heard the bathroom door creak open. Arthur was standing at Alexander's desk looking at the notes he had taken from all the months of research. "I see you are still researching with Ashara. How is that going, anyway? I hardly talk to her about anything other than mother, father and the little one."

Ah yes. Little Allyria. It seemed she was quite the happy little baby, much less serious than the rest of the family. At least according to Ashara. "It's alright. Nothing too interesting yet." Alexander gestured for them to sit. As soon as they were both settled, with Dawn in Arthur's lap, Alex asked, "What important news do you have?"

"It seems the King has finally decided to remove the Brotherhood. Once and for all."

Alexander raised an eyebrow in surprise. The Brotherhood was an outlaw group operating out of the Kingswood. Many had thought the King would take action when the Brotherhood had begun kidnapping nobles. But the King only responded with a few of the armed forces, which proved ineffective. It seemed the King was not seriously interested in stopping the Brotherhood and only considered them a minor annoyance. Until now. "I assume something has happened that has spurred King Aerys into action?"

Arthur sat up straighter in his wooden chair. "We received a raven sent by the Lord Commander that Princess Elia and her escorts were attacked by the Brotherhood."

Now Alexander was even more surprised. _The Brotherhood was indeed getting bolder. Had they no fear what would happen when they attacked the Crown Princes' betrothed? Unless they thought they could defeat the best that the realm had to offer. That was certainly a troubling thought_. "What is the King planning to do?" Asked Alexander.

His brother smiled. "They have decided to put me in charge of finding and serving justice to the Brotherhood." Alexander was excited for his brother. He knew that Arthur was considered a true knight and an even more honorable man. Capturing criminals was part of that duty, which Arthur was happy to do.

"How many men will you be taking?"

"Well, the King offered 50 of the royal forces. Lord Commander Gerold Hightower was injured in the attack so I asked for another member of the Kingsguard. Prince Rhaegar was the one to offer my services, but it seems the King is uneasy about letting any of my brothers in arms to leave. After all, the Kingsguard's duty is to protect the King. Luckily, Ser Barristan was allowed to fight. Lord Sumner Crakehall was also here today and he volunteered." Arthur replied. "Of course you will be coming too as my squire."

Alexander nodded. He was eager to test his skills in the fields of battle. It had been far too long. Alexander was never one to find pleasure in killing, but there was something special in the feeling of defeating an opponent in a life or death situation. In his previous lives, whenever he could, Alexander usually gave a chance to his opponent to surrender themselves and if they did, he would give them mercy. Of course, there were exceptions. Those who truly deserved to die he would gladly kill without an afterthought. Alexander was also glad that Ser Barristan Selmy was joining the team that would root out the Brotherhood. Each time Alexander had interacted with the old knight, Ser Barristan had proven the stories of his chivalry true. The knight was certainly one of the greatest in the Seven Kingdoms and as honorably and kind as they came. However, as successful of knight as Ser Barristan was, he wasn't much for politics. Alexander did not think he was sharpest tool in the shed, although, the old knight's knowledge was where he needed them most.

"Don't be afraid little brother. You are almost as good at wielding a sword as me. I think you will have no trouble keeping up with the rest of us." Arthur said, mistaking Alexander's silence for fear.

"I'm not afraid." Alexander replied. His face gave away no emotions. "I'm looking forward to doing my duty and serving with you brother."

His older brother smiled brightly. Alexander thought Arthur should smile like that more, it helped make him less intimidating. _That's probably the reason why he doesn't smile as much._ "Well then. It seems my little brother doesn't need any more coddling. I will go make the final preparations. You should start packing. Make sure to be ready in the morning. The King wants us out by midday."

Alexander nodded again. Something about his blank expression must have seemed strange because Arthur stared at his face awhile before turning away. Once his brother shut his door, Alexander ran to his desk to check his notes. He breathed out a sigh of relief. Arthur had not seen his writings on magic underneath all his research on valyrian swords.

He had been working on aiming some of his old spells at random off duty guards when he wasn't sneaking around the castle at night. It was a long process of trial and error as many spells, like stupefy, were surprisingly too intricate and wild to perform without a wand, but all those years of practice as a child helped him from depleting his magical core too quickly. As the Master of Death, Alexander could perform wandless magic better than any wizard, but complicated spells were not accurate enough without a wand for him to carelessly cast. It was actually surprising how many spells required exceptional accuracy. Luckily, the disillusionment charm didn't really need to be aimed, he could just let the spell wash over himself, not caring if it drizzled onto the area around him. It also didn't help that this dimension did not have as much latent magic in the environment, at least not the kind that he was used to, so all the spells were powered directly from his core. He had tried apparating outside the gates of King's Landing from his room, but ended up in the gardens, only travelling a quarter of the way to his destination. He had discovered those two pieces of information after waking up from magical exhaustion and dealing with a severe headache. He wasn't doing that again any time soon.

Alexander had thought about making himself a wand as a solution. The problem was that the components needed to make one did not seem to exist in this world. At least not anymore. He had seen the dragon bones on his nightly strolls under the disillusionment charm, but he didn't think that the old dragon bones would work in a wand. He needed something far more saturated in magic. _If only I had a fresh dragon to harvest heartstring from._

Runes came in handy where spells could not. Alexander had carved runes into his armor for sturdiness and protection over the course of his stay in King's Landing. This wouldn't make him invincible, but it did add an extra layer of protection on top of his considerable fighting skills. He couldn't design these runes the same way he had with Ashara's necklace, because he was going to be actively fighting. The runes merely prevented others from actively trying to harm the wearer as long as he or she did not have any hostile thoughts towards the potential attacker. So of course, because Alexander going to be in active combat, he would be thinking about ways to harm his enemies. Hostile thoughts were unavoidable in the heat of battle. But the runes did help if some random person ever decided they wanted to have him assassinated. Alexander was no stranger to wars and bloodshed. But this was the first time that he chose to do it under his own volition. It was a refreshing thought. And this time he would have to rely heavily on his physical abilities, as he did not want to accidently have his spells splash onto his allies. _Well this is certainly turning out to be an interesting vacation._

After he had finished packing his essentials, he decided to finally write his letter to Ashara. He needed to tell her about his upcoming adventure and to assure her that he would look after himself and their older brother. _I will protect him._ Alexander snorted in amusement at the thought. _Not that Arthur can't look after himself._ But Alexander considered his family members the only people he could truly trust and love in this world. So he was going to do everything he could to protect them.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Golden Squire**

Jaime Lannister sat with his chin on his fist and his back against a rough log. It wasn't the most comfortable of positions, but it did allow him to survey the band of men that had come from King's Landing near five fortnights ago. He saw most of the soldiers were whispering around the fire. They're merriment could be heard in their voices even though they tried to keep quiet. Near the lights edge sniffled Merrett Frey, his squire mate under Lord Crakehall. The large squire had caught the pox early in their stay in the Kingswood requiring near constant attention and care, much to the distress of their comrades. However, now that the pox was gone, the whimpering squire was a nuisance. The Frey still expected special treatment even after his sickness had passed.

 _Stupid oaf._ Jaime couldn't find it in himself to help the large squire out, as he had discovered the Frey was a bully back at Lord Crakehall's home.Jaime could tell that the other soldiers were sick of Merrett Frey as well. Lord Crakehall was the only one paid his "sick" squire any extra attention, if only to satisfy his duty to look after his squires, but even he was starting to grow tired of his squire's antics.

Speaking of his Lord. He and Ser Arthur Dayne were patrolling with a group of men around the perimeter of their camp making sure no outlaws tried to sneak up on them in the dead of night. They paid special attention to the settlements nearby, knowing that the smallfolk who had taken up residence in the Kingswood did not think too highly of the King's band of soldiers. _To hell with the lot of them_. Jaime thought that the insolent peasants should be thrown into the prison under the keep. _Maybe that will teach them some respect._

When Ser Arthur had first approached the smallfolk for information the woodland people had nearly spat in the Kingsguard member's face. Jaime had almost drawn his sword. How dare these fools talk to the Sword of the Morning like that. He had seen the famed knight's younger brother from the corner of his eye. Even the normally blank faced Alexander had a small frown tugging at the corner of his lips. Lord Crakehall had placed a firm hand on Jaime's shoulder and shook his head, which stopped him from stomping over to the disrespectful peasant and teaching him some manners. If Ser Arthur was troubled, he did not show it. The white cloaked knight merely motioned for Lord Crakehall and sent the rest of the men, including Alex and Jaime, to the outskirts of the settlements to prepare camp. Ser Arthur wanted to reason with the fools.

Loud laughter drew his attention back to the large campfire in the center of camp. The soldiers were telling lude stories now. Jaime smirked. The Brotherhood had not been seen since their stay in the woods, helping the men to relax. Jaime wasn't too worried. The Brotherhood had probably heard of the group led by the Sword of the Morning and ran or hid. Outlaws were cowards. The Brotherhood couldn't fight a decent knight unless they snuck up on him. Although, Jaime had heard interesting stories about some of the members of the Brotherhood. He had been looking forward to fighting some of the more esteemed members of the outlaw group, but it looked like it was going to be a boring stay in the outdoors instead. So far from Cersei. Oh, how he missed her. His dear twin sister.

No. Best not think of her now. It would only make it more painful. Jaime shifted, stretching his legs out, the soles of his feet faced the fire, absorbing what little warmth the fire offered at this distance. He needed to distract himself. If it wasn't night he would have asked Alex for a spar, but it was much too dark. And the sounds of clashing steel would only frighten the poor fools living nearby. Jaime peered into the shadowy outskirts of the camp looking for the black haired squire. At least he could try to figure out the enigma that was Alexander Dayne while he was here in these forsaken woods.

Alex Dayne could often be found on the edge of camp whenever his brother, the Sword of the Morning, was away on patrol or whatever else lead the knight away from camp. Alex seemed like any other squire, although, much more serious and even better at the sword than he was, not that he would ever admit it out loud. But there was something off about him. He was so alert. So much more aware than anyone he had ever known. Jaime remembered he had woken up in the middle of the night to take a piss. He had thought Alex to be sleeping, the young man was so still. Jaime, crept along the camp to the edge of the woods in order not to awaken anyone not on watch, but Jaime was naught but ten feet away from Alex when the black haired squire's two bright green eyes opened and stared through the darkness right at Jaime. Those eyes. They seemed to shine with a light of their own and were so deep. There was a coldness in them as well, that sometimes his father would have when he spoke of the King. But there was much more in these eyes. A sense of agelessness. Jaime shuddered. No man should possess those eyes. But as just as suddenly as those eyes opened, the coldness disappeared and he was staring at darkness again. "Do your business Jaime. You just startled me." Jaime had heard. _You certainly didn't look startled. You looked about ready to kill me._

But apparently those eyes ran in the family. At least according to Ser Arthur. The Sword of the Morning had said that Ashara, his and Alex's sister, had haunting eyes that drew the attention of any man that looked her way. Ser Arthur and Alex had both laughed at that. No, Alex didn't laugh, that would be an exaggeration. In fact he had never seen the black haired youth more than chuckle briefly in all the time he spent around him.

Jaime finally spotted the subject of his thoughts. Alex was always so hard to spot. He just sort of blended into the background. How, Jaime knew not. Alex certainly looked better than most people with his noble upbringing. But then again, Alex didn't look like the blonde Ser Arthur, so maybe that was why. Jaime was about to shout Alex's name to get the boy's attention, but Alex was already walking in his direction. Good. Saves me the trouble of raising my voice. When Alex drew close enough that the Jaime could hear his footsteps, Jaime sat up and waved his hand. "Alex, how goes it?"

Alex stilled and looked his way. "Fine." The young Dayne said.

"Come. Sit with me. You're not getting away with another one of your silent nights again. And bring me some of that wine. I saw you eyeing it." Jaime scowled playfully. Alex, seemed conflicted. He looked to the barrel of wine for a split second and then back at Jaime. Jaime patted the ground to his right. "Come on. Don't be a spoil sport. Might as well talk to someone. You have to admit, it's been boring since we got here." Jaime's words seem to have helped make up Alex's mind, as Alex filled two wooden bowls with drink and sat down next to him.

"Here." Alex said, handing one of the bowls to Jaime, which he gladly accepted, downing half of the liquid in one gulp.

"Don't know why your brother ever paid those smallfolk for the wine the soldiers took. It's not that good anyway."

"He's a knight." Alex shrugged, sipping on his own bowl of wine. "It is his duty to look after the King's subjects."

Jaime snorted. "After what those fools said to him? They deserve any misfortune coming to them. Especially after what Lord Crakehall said."

"That's only a suspicion." Alex said. Jaime gave the black haired a searching look from the corner of his eye. _Alex can't be that naïve can he?_ "Alright. It's definitely more than a suspicion. But still, Arthur is a true knight. Even if you don't want to be one, he is held up to a higher standard." Conceded Alex.

Jaime took offense at that. _I don't want to be a true knight do I?_ "Who said I didn't want to be a true knight. I'm just saying that people shouldn't disrespect your brother like that. He is the Sword of the Morning after all." Protested Jaime.

Alex smiled at that. "I'm glad you think so highly of my brother. But he hardly needs protecting from the words of a few ignorant smallfolk."

I'm glad to be doing the King's work with Ser Arthur, thought Jaime. Me, Jaime Lannister, working with the greatest knight in the Seven Kingdoms. _Of course I think highly of Ser Arthur._ Jaime laughed. "With the way things are going here, words will be the only thing we have to worry about."

Alex apparently found that funny as well and started chuckling. Jaime gave Alex a thoughtful look. _This is the perfect time to ask him about himself, now that he's relaxed._ Alex was surprisingly reticent about his own life. Any time the soldiers tried to talk to the dark haired squire about himself, Alex would lead the conversation in a different direction. Anything Jaime knew about the younger Dayne came from the Sword of the Morning, which wasn't that much, because Ser Arthur was gone from much of Alex's life. The two Daynes were surprisingly on edge in the Kingswood, even though the only signs the Brotherhood was here at all were old camps and rusty swords. Jaime sighed. "You aren't what I expected." Started Jaime. He sipped from his bowl of wine. "Do you know what I thought the moment I heard about you?"

Alex set his wine down and shook his head. Jaime smiled inside. _He's interested!_ _Let's see if I can get something out of him._

"I thought you were a false squire riding on his brother's fame."

Alex made a humming noise in his throat. Disappointed at the lack of reaction, Jaime continued, trying a different strategy. "I'll admit that your skill did take me by surprise. But you looked more a girl than a knight to be." _Insulting him to his face. That should annoy him at the least. He might let something slip in his anger._ This time Alex did react, but not in the way Jaime expected. Alexander chuckled, enough so that even his eyes seemed to glimmer with mirth. Jaime frowned.

"Well, I certainly look more like Ashara than Arthur." Alex said. "And act like her more too." Jaime thought he heard some wistfulness in Alex's voice.

"You love her a lot don't you?"

Alex turned to Jaime. There was surprise in his eyes. "Of course. Don't you love your siblings?"

Jaime knew that question was rhetorical, but he wanted to answer anyway. He didn't love his siblings the same way. Little Tyrion was his younger brother. He certainly loved Tyrion more than any other family member loved the boy. But Cersei. She was different. His twin. His second half. He wouldn't find anyone he loved more in his whole life.

"Yes." That was all Jaime could say. Alex gave him an amused smile and nodded. A nod of understanding. _He loves his sister more than he does Arthur._ _Just as I love Cersei more than anything else._ Just then Jaime thought that, maybe Alex and him weren't so different after all. That they shared a connection more than just being squires. But, no Alex couldn't have known the kind of love that Jaime had for his sister Cersei. They shared an intimate bond beyond brother and sister… Beyond even lovers.

"Ahhhh!"

An annoyed scream shattered Jaime's reveries. He turned his head towards the source of the sound. It seemed his squire mate Merret had finally broken the patience of the soldier he was tormenting with his whining. Merret Frey was on his back legs in the air like a flipped turtle, struggling on the leaf covered ground. It appeared that the unfortunate soldier he had annoyed had pushed the Frey off the log he had been lying on. Jaime burst out laughing, joining the merriment of the other onlookers. _That stupid oaf. He shouldn't have been milking his sickness for so long._ He looked at Alex. Even his black haired companion had an amused grin.

Suddenly a feathered object appeared in Alex's right shoulder knocking the young Dayne's shoulders back into the log they had been using as a backrest. Time seemed to freeze. Both he and Alex stared at the arrow with startled eyes.

"To arms!" The battle cry of Ser Arthur and Lord Crakehall rang across the camp springing every man to action. Time unfroze and Jaime scrambled to his feet. He drew his sword and peered away from the camp fire and into the woods. From the corner of his eye he saw Alex do the same. _Oh thank the Seven. I thought he was dead!_ Apparently Alex was perfectly fine, as the black haired squire took up a ready stance with a more annoyed expression than anything else. Sounds of fighting could be heard from across the camp. Jaime was about to run to join the action when another arrow flew and hit the log he had just been leaning on. Out of the darkness charged men. The Brotherhood.

His first challenger was easily dispatched with a quick parry followed by a two handed backhand slash across the man's mid-section. It seemed under all the leafy camouflage the outlaw was only wearing leather. Jaime's second opponent was not as easy to beat. The outlaw obviously had some training and was matching him blow for blow. Another member of the Brotherhood came from the side with his sword raised. Jaime did not have time to deal with the brigand. Just as the sword was about to come down on Jaime's unprotected left flank, Alex blocked the strike, engaging the sneaky outlaw. Jaime saw an opening and thrust his blade straight into the neck of his opponent. As the man dropped to his knees gurgling blood, Jaime noticed that Alex had force his opponent to his knees as well. But his man was not yet dead or dying.

"Surrender. And I will give you mercy." Alex said. Jaime gaped. He couldn't believe it. He was offering to let the enemy go. Thankfully, Jaime didn't have to yell at Alex, as the outlaw spat at Alex and shouted, "I won't take mercy from you, King's filth."

"So be it." Alex looked at the man with pity, then chopped the man's head off with a single blow of his sword. Blood sprayed into the air covering Alex's chest and arms. The blood looked nearly black in the flickering light of the dying campfire.

Laughter filled the air. The two squires looked out into the darkness and saw two tall shapes strolling their way. "What do we have here?" Asked the taller one.

"Two boys so far away from home." Said the wider one.

The two outlaws stepped out of the gloom of night. The two recognized the taller one. It was the infamous Smiling Knight. He wore a dark chain vest under a smattering of brown dry leaves. His sword was drawn in his right hand and it towered towards the sky. Obviously the outlaw had an insanely strong arm to be able to wield such a long sword in one hand. Jaime shuddered. Not at the appearance of the Smiling Knight but at another fact that wasn't seen, but was known throughout the Kingdoms, the Smiling Knight was as deadly as he was mad. And judging from the deranged smile the man wore, he was very deadly. The wider one jabbed the now revealed Smiling Knight's side with a large wooden war hammer. "Eh. They recognize you!"

The Smiling Knights smile grew wider. "I'll take the dark haired one. You take the blonde. Let's make short work of these boys." The two outlaws approached Alex and Jaime. Just as the four swordsman were about to clash, Lord Crakehall stepped over the log behind the two squires and walked between them. Lord Crakehall stood in front of Alex and Jaime facing the two outlaws, with his sword drawn. It seemed their Lord had also been fighting, as his sword was coated in red.

"Big Belly Ben and the Smiling Knight you are both wanted by the King's decree. It is my duty as a Lord and under my King's command to bring you to justice." Lord Crakehalls deep voice drowned over the sounds of clashing swords and dying men. "However, if you surrender and give me information leading to the capture or death of your fellow outlaws I will allow you take the Black. If not. Then may the Seven judge you fairly in death."

The one called Big Belly Ben shifted his war hammer from hand to hand and looked at the Smiling Knight, who's smile had disappeared. Suddenly a wide grin stretched across the dirt covered face of the Smiling Knight. "Sounds like we'll have some fun here! I came to kill two boys and caught myself a Lord. What a lucky night!"

Big Belly Ben laughed. "It seems we're outnumbered. I'll sort this out." Big Belly Ben then turned his head to look back into the woods from where he and his companion emerged. "Men!" He yelled. A dozen leaf covered outlaws formed a semi-circle around the combatants.

"Now, now. Just keep the boys distracted. We'll handle the Lord." Said the Smiling Knight mockingly.

"Handle me?" Scoffed Lord Crakehall. "You will not find me so easy to kill." With that Lord Crakehall charged forward quickly parrying the Smiling Knight's longer reach and sidestepping Big Belly Ben's large war hammer. Jaime and Alex sprang into action at the same time engaging the dozen leaf covered outlaws. The outlaws weren't very good with their swords, but they had numbers. By the time Jaime and Alex had ended four of their numbers the two squires were forced to fight back to back in order to cover each other's weak spot.

"Jaime!" Whispered Alex. "You go help Lord Crakehall. He's having some trouble."

Lord Crakehall was indeed having trouble. With every swing of his war hammer, Big Belly Ben pushed the Lord back another step. Lord Crakehall's arm was getting tired too. Each strike of the war hammer sent shockwaves up the Lord's arm, deadening his muscles. The Smiling Knight wasn't even engaged anymore, more content on laughing than fight. Jaime was worried. He glanced backwards at Alex. "You sure you can take on six?"

"Don't worry about me. Just save your Lord!"

Jaime nodded with a determined look in his face. He charged forward delivering swift jabs towards his opponents, forcing them to move to the left. Taking the opportunity, Jaime sprinted past yelling, "I best find you alive when I return!" All he heard in a reply was a chuckle and Alex's calm voice. "Surrender and I will give you mercy."

Jaime didn't have time to look back and see if Alex was seriously considering letting the six men go. _How can he think of mercy at this time? Let alone think that he can kill six men?_ But Jaime had to focus on the view in front of him. Lord Crakehall had tripped and was on his back. Big Belly Ben had his war hammer raised and was about to slam it down upon the unfortunate Lord's head. Jaime managed to place himself over his Lord and block the fatal blow with his sword, which shattered it into two pieces, leaving only about six inches of his sword in his hands. The war hammer's momentum was so great that it struck Jaime's forearm, nearly forcing him to drop what remained of his sword in pain.

Jaime let out a pained grunt. _That's going to bruise._ Surprisingly the pain disappeared. His arm guards had taken most of the force but there was going to be a deep bruise as a result of the blow. Taking advantage of the surprise, Jaime stabbed what remained of his sword into Big Belly Ben's stomach with both hands. The wide man fell back groaning. Picking up Lord Crakehall's sword he stood defensively over his fallen Lord.

The Smiling Knight had stopped laughing at this point. He looked as if he were about to attack, but responding to some unseen signal behind Jaime, the Smiling Knight helped a stumbling Big Belly Ben to his feet before running off into the forest. Jaime, panting hard with adrenaline, watched the two outlaws depart still frozen in his defensive stance.

"Boy. Help me up."

Jaime dropped the sword and helped Lord Crakehall to his feet. His arms protested as Lord Crakehall gripped his bruised forearms. Once his Lord had dusted himself off the he surveyed the battlefield. "Seems we got off pretty lucky." Said Lord Crakehall.

Jaime looked at the camp. There were men strewn across the ground, some were still twitching. But all the men that were standing were King's men. Jaime didn't say anything. Lord Crakehall placed a hand on his shoulder. "You did good Jaime…" But before Lord Crakehall could finish what he was about to say, Ser Arthur Dayne and Alex approached them. Jaime was surprised to find that Alex looked unharmed and had a serious look upon his face. If there wasn't any blood on the younger Dayne's body, Jaime would have been surprised that Alex was in a battle at all. _It seems he took care of the six outlaws afterall._ Ser Arthur, however, wore a grim expression. "We lost twenty-odd men in the surprise attack." Said Ser Arthur.

Lord Crakehall frowned and again surveyed their previously tidy camp, before replying, "Could have been worse. I'm surprised we managed to keep as many men as we did. I was surprised the Brotherhood decided to retreat. But lucky for us they did. I was in a tight spot myself, if it wasn't for Jaime here."

Jaime perked up at that, regaining his customary smirk. Ser Arthur Dayne nodded at Jaime, which swelled his pride even more. Then Alex spoke up, "Where's Merrett?" Ser Arthur's grimaced, seriousness returning in full. _Why Alex. Why can't you let me bask in my glory?_ Then the full gravity of what Alex said hit Jaime. He hurriedly surveyed the camp again. Merrett Frey was nowhere to be seen.

Ser Arthur spoke in a stiff voice. "They've taken your squire, Lord Crakehall."

Lord Crakehall grunted angrily and spat onto the dirt, turning to peer into the woods, as if he would find his missing squire. Alex followed the Lord's gaze to look into the woods with a determined gleam in his eyes. _That stupid oaf_. Was all Jaime could think as he shook his head with pity.


End file.
